Eagles join handcrafted birds for sale at Durham church fair

DURHAM — Taking its perch among the dozens of handcrafted felt birds, the bald eagle will join the collection of popular ornaments at the St. George Episcopal Church holiday fair this season.

The newest member of the series is expected to sell quickly at the church's annual holiday fair just as the 37 species created in years passed have — before noon.

Penny Hardy, of Lee, has been helping diligently craft these creatures since 1980, when the ornamental offering consisted of just two types of birds: the cardinal and the swan.

Since 1999, a new distinct species has been created each year. While it's normally a bird local to the region that's added to the collection, this year's was inspired by the presidential election, group member Liza Hewitt said. That and perhaps a dwindling number of local species to choose from.

“We're running out of birds,” Pat Herbst, of Durham, said Wednesday.

She and Hardy were beginning to move the collection to be sold at the craft fair Dec. 1, which will consist of nearly 80 bald eagles as well as dozens of past favorites.

Last year, Hewitt told Foster's she came up with the idea to craft a tern for 2011 after spotting one in Prescott Park in Portsmouth.

The templates for each pattern are kept under lock and key in a safe at the church and the group, which now consists of nearly a dozen crafters, begins working on the ornaments right after the Easter Holiday, Herbst said.

While each member plays a role in creating the set of felt birds, Hardy said it's gluing some of the pieces together that's the most difficult of the process.

“All the birds are designed by someone in the church,” she said.

And the hours spent crafting each one by hand are taken very seriously.

“We're 'fussbudgets.' We don't like bad work,” Herbst said. “We're very particular on how things get done.”

If the number of people flocking to the perfect birds once doors open for the fair indicates appreciation for their work ethic, their efforts are not in vain.

“A lot of people in Durham collect them and can't wait to see the new bird,” Hardy said.

The crafters even take care to make sure each bird has some color to it so it's cheerfulness will show distinctly against a dark green Christmas tree, Herbst said.

While a lot of the work to construct these creatures is done right at the church, sometimes members of the crafting group take their work home. But joining together to make these creatures is part of what makes this project a “labor of love.”

“There's a fellowship between among us,” Herbst said.

“It's a lot of fun,” Hardy, who said she was “roped into it” the first year she joined the church 32 years ago, added.

Some returning favorites include the tern, flamingo, penguin, blue heron, egret, snowy owl, goldfinch, and a list of others.

The craft fair will be held at the church located at 14 Main St. and will open its doors at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1.